Burning
by Moonsetta
Summary: Leo's right hand held onto a black gloved hand and his left hand held onto a hand with dark green skin. He could only save one and drop the other into the cindering inferno below. This was the moment… Karai or Raphael?


I don't own TMNT.

By the way, this could an alternate dimension other than the 2k3 series so I could be free to kill everyone in the end!

YAY ME! Although, I have no idea where this came from. I've never really focused on Karai though so I decided to give it a try. I'm completely neutral right now on the whole LeoXKarai thing. There could be romance or there could not be. I decided to take it for a spin though, at least for this one-shot. Warning: It's categorized as a tragedy for a reason.

* * *

He heard the combined shouts as the two were knocked from the top of the building. The blue masked turtle leaped forward, reaching out, hoping that he wasn't too far to help them. His hands touched reptilian skin like his own and thin leather. He glanced behind him and knocked back an incoming Foot soldier that was ready to stab him in the back. He quickly glanced over the building ledge. A small explosion had set the first floor on fire and the flames were quickly consuming the building. Surrounding buildings got caught in the blaze as well, the shorter ones collapsed leaving a burning moat around the tall tower.

"Leo!" he heard other voices shout.

He recognized hem easily as his other younger brothers, "Mikey, Don head for the sewers below!" he shouted as he gazed around at the flames starting to slightly rise from the rooftop.

"Leo!" a rough voice yelled and he glanced down at the two hands he held.

He met eyes of amber and emerald.

"I can't pull you both up!" he shouted and glanced behind him as the flames came closer.

He then noticed a familiar emotion flash across Raph's eyes and then the dark green hand holding his loosened.

"Don't you dare Raphael!" he said, holding onto his brother's hand tighter, enough to compress his wrist into the shape of a flat pancake.

Then, he saw the flames climbing the side of the building! It was at ten seconds before the flames would devour the turtle and human hanging onto his hands. He swallowed painfully as a lump formed in his throat. Only one, only one could live. He never wanted to kill, tried not to but as the flames lapsed closer he made his choice.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

He glanced down, the heat causing sweat to cover his hand, his grip on the leather covered hand slipped but he held on tighter. Those last three seconds became his mind's apocalypse. He released one hand with a cry and caught the hanging being's other hand.

"Forgive me," he choked out and quickly pulled the safe one up while he heard the other remain silent as they fell into the flames below.

When the flames consumed them Leo glanced away and dashed off and onto the next building, his hand still grasping the wrist of his choice tightly. As they landed on the next rooftop they froze at the scream that followed them. Leo let go of the wrist and collapsed on his knees, his eyes stinging with the pain and smoke.

"Hey, thank goodness you-" the voice stopped and Leo recognized it as the voice of his youngest brother.

"Leo?" Don asked as they approached the two figures on the rooftop, "Where is-"

Leo glanced at them and then stared pointedly at the flames. The two youngest froze and stared back at Leo as his body trembled.

"I couldn't save them both," he whispered.

* * *

Don glanced up from where he was reading a book to see his younger brother fall onto the couch in the main room of their lair. Before they could say anything, their sensei walked out of his room and jumped to the second floor of their home, standing in front of the room Leo and Don shared. The elderly rat took a deep breath and glanced inside. A crash soon followed.

"Do you think Leo's gonna be back to normal soon?" Mikey asked, unusually quiet.

Don sighed silently, "I don't know Mikey. He's just so wrapped up in his emotions right now. Love makes you do crazy things, the heart and mind can control one another so easily."

"Isn't there anything you can give him?"

"Mikey, I'm no miracle doctor, heck I'm not even a doctor! I'm an engineer. Unless I can find someway to rebuild reality there's nothing I can do for Leo."

Another crash and a sigh from their sensei had the two younger turtles turning on the TV as a distraction. Two minutes later, which they filled by watching commercials, their sensei reappeared.

"How is he Master Splinter?" Don asked.

"The same," their sensei said with another sigh before he turned and ducked into the kitchen, no doubt for his 15th cup of tea in under an hour.

The crashing grew silent and the two turtles glanced up to see their eldest brother walking out onto the ledge of the second floor of their lair. Leo glanced slowly and hesitantly to his right, where Raph's room sat in silence. Too much silence. The blue masked turtle walked to the edge and sat down, not paying attention as a loose stone scratched across his leg, thankfully though, not deep enough to draw blood. His heart felt like a heavy iron block and a lump constantly formed in his throat. Every time he found peace in something he only ever reminded himself of what he had done. He turned his hands over, palm up, while resting them on his knees. There was still a scar from that one burn. The burn he should've not let overtake him. He should've found a way. That scream…

It was no better than killing in cold blood.

Why hadn't he just taken his sword and taken the life? That would've been honorable at least. He wasn't sure what felt worse. The sorrow or the dishonor. He choked back a sob so his brothers wouldn't hear it. He felt a hand on his shoulder. There were neither words spoken nor demanded but the hand vanished as he sensed the being moving to sit down at his side. Before Leo knew it, two arms were around him and he slammed his eyes shut before he could be forced to meet the pity filled stare. Then, his temple was nuzzled and he relaxed marginally under the slight pressure before he felt the other move closer, tucking it's head under his chin. Leo pulled the comforting presence closer and encircled his arms around it.

The whisper the followed was so quiet that it would've been nothing at all to a human but Leo heard it all too well.

"Thanks for choosing for me."

"There was no choice," Leo muttered and then took a deep breath before he opened his eyes and glanced down.

"My brothers come first Raphael."

* * *

No clue where this came from. It kind of just popped into my head at the last second.

"You killed Karai?" Raph shouts.

"Uh, yes," I say warily.

"And this is my dimension?" Raph asks, "2K3?"

"Yes!"

"Awesome!" he shouts and this me on the arm, "Now that's the kind of story I'd like to read."

"You're not going to kill me for this one?" I ask in wonder.

"Pft, no way. Anyone who kills Karai is good in my book."

I shake my head, "You are so possessive of your older brother."

"I only got one," Raph says with a shrug and slight frown.

"Oh, that's right," I say, "Sorry about that."

Ok, I'm exiting a story without being chased.

"YAY! BREAK OUT THE PARTY FAVORS! I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM! SOMEONE GO GET PIZZA!"

"Cowabunga!" Mikey shouts and drops into the center of the stage before marching across it while singing, "Ding-dong the Wicked Witch is dead!"

See you all next time. I love every reader out there cause these stories just make my day. A review please? Or two? Or ten? Oh, what am I saying? Review please. Although the amount of reviews will only range from 2 to 6. I'll bet on that.

~Moonsetta


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